Tag Archive for: days

‘Everything we do these days is on the internet’: The importance of cyber security

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Ransom

FARGO, ND (KVRR) – Cyber security is always an importance. Especially when it comes to school districts and the private files on students.

“Everything we do these days is on the internet. It’s online, it’s on the computer.” said Eric Erdman, the co-owner of Information Management Systems in Fargo.

That was painfully obvious this week with the Minneapolis Public Schools dealing with a ransomware attack that dumped over three-hundred thousand files online in March, when the district refused to pay a one-million dollar ransom.

“Your personal information and it’s for cyber criminals to get at. That’s what they’re trying to do right now.” said Erdman.

The Fargo Public Schools say they haven’t dealt with this issue. But it can strike at any moment. Eric Erdman with Information Management Systems in Fargo shares what usually happens during a ransomware attack.

“Gets on your computer and then they encrypt all of your files and then they put a message on your screen saying we’ve encrypted your files and now we want you to pay us to get those files back,” said Erdman. “And if you don’t pay them you’re not going to get them back.”

It’s not just the cyber security issues these districts face. Some of the files leaked from Minneapolis described students’ sexual assaults, psychiatric hospitalizations, abusive parents and even suicide attempts. Having that dragged out so anyone can see it can take a toll on one’s mental health.

“Something like that happens it really deters people from seeking that help,” said Alexandra Kohlhase, a clinical psychologist with Essentia Health. “Most of the time the struggle is to come in and start talking about those things in the first place and to having something like this happen is a huge breach and betrayal.”

It’s important to protect your files and private information, or someone might try to steal it for their own gain.

“Most of the time, even if you pay them you’re trying to trust a cyber criminal to give them back even after you pay them. Who knows if they’re going to do that even.” said Erdman.

We also reached out to West Fargo and Moorhead Public Schools, but haven’t heard…

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Update Your iPhone Right Now to Fix 2 Apple Zero Days

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Apple says the patches fix a memory corruption that allowed an app to execute arbitrary code and a WebKit vulnerability that enabled malicious code execution through web content. The attacks have been seen only on devices running versions of iOS released before iOS 15.7, according to the company. Even if you’re an unlikely target for spyware, now’s a good time to update your iPhone.

This week, an alarming investigation by NBC News found that Discord, a social media popular with gamers, has become a popular venue for child sexual exploitation. NBC News identified 35 cases over the past six years in which adults have faced charges of kidnapping, grooming, or sexual assault that were allegedly facilitated by Discord. Nearly half of these cases resulted in guilty pleas or verdicts, while many others are still under investigation.

NBC News’ review of cases is likely a vast undercount, the report says, as these numbers represent only reported cases where charges were brought. Victims generally face significant challenges when it comes to reporting, investigations, and prosecution. Stephen Sauer, the director of the tip line at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, told NBC News, “What we see is only the tip of the iceberg.”

According to experts interviewed by NBC News, while online child exploitation is not exclusive to Discord, the platform’s decentralized moderation system and its young user base have likely made it an appealing environment for those seeking to exploit children.

The investigation comes as a Washington Post report found that thousands of AI-generated child sexual abuse images have been found on forums across the dark web.

According to The Wall Street Journal, US officials have been monitoring the activities of employees working for Chinese telecom companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE at suspected spy facilities in Cuba. The news comes amid a push to restrict the use of Huawei and ZTE mobile infrastructure across the West.

Earlier this month, the Journal reported that China has been operating a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019 and that the two countries jointly maintain four additional eavesdropping stations on the island. Officials from the Biden…

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Google Scrambles to Fix Chrome’s Second Zero-Day Exploit in Just Days!

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Google Chrome Users Beware: Zero-Day Vulnerability Exploited | Update NOW!

Google Chrome Users Beware: Zero-Day Vulnerability Exploited | Update NOW!

In a shocking development, Google has rushed to release an emergency fix for yet another high-severity zero-day exploit in its Chrome web browser . The flaw, known as CVE-2023-2136, is a result of an integer overflow in Skia, an open source 2D graphics library, which was discovered by Clément Lecigne of Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) on April 12, 2023 .

Double Trouble: A Second Zero-Day Exploit

This is the second Chrome zero-day vulnerability exploited by malicious actors this year, coming hot on the heels of Google patching CVE-2023-2033 just last week . It remains unclear whether the two exploits have been used in tandem as part of in-the-wild attacks.

Patch it up, Folks!

Google has urged users to upgrade their browsers to version 112.0.5615.137/138 for Windows, 112.0.5615.137 for macOS, and 112.0.5615.165 for Linux in order to mitigate potential threats . Users of Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi should also apply the fixes as soon as they become available .

Act Now or Regret Later!

In light of these alarming events, it’s crucial for users to stay vigilant and take action by updating their browsers to the latest versions. Don’t let your digital lives fall into the hands of cunning cybercriminals. Stay one step ahead and protect your online presence!

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SLU get email back, but computer problems persist 11 days later

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HAMMOND, La. — State cyber security teams, the state police and the campus IT department continued to bring computers systems back online at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.

The school took down the college’s computer network 11 days ago after noticing some sort of cyber incident.

As of Tuesday, the SLU email system and website have been restored.

The campus Wi Fi and online learning platform “Moodle” are still offline.

SLU spokesman Mike Rivault told WWL-TV, “the teams working on things are making good progress, but we are also ensuring we balance speed with safety.

Rivault also said he could not comment on whether this was a cyber-attack or whether any personal information has been compromised. He also would not say if SLU received any sort of ransom demand.

There is no timetable for when all systems will be restored.

“Working as fast as we can make sure the system comes back online safely,” Rivault said.

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